Ukrainian energy debts have surpassed 45 billion UAH, primarily attributed to consumers who fail to pay for electricity and cannot be disconnected for various reasons. As a result, Ukrenergo is unable to fully settle its accounts with electricity producers.
According to Yurii Boyko, a member of the supervisory board at Ukrenergo, over 80% of this debt is considered problematic, with a low likelihood of recovery. “The debts to the National Energy Company Ukrenergo have already exceeded 45 billion UAH, largely consisting of a mix of problematic consumers,” he stated.
The government has altered the funding distribution mechanism for heat and communal energy firms to improve payment collections. An additional 5% of their revenues will now be directed to Ukrenergo to help settle debts in the balancing market. Boyko also mentioned the introduction of special accounts for certain protected consumers.
While Boyko does not expect a complete halt to the emergence of new debts, he anticipates a significant reduction in the rate of their accumulation. “The government has made a series of decisions aimed at improving the level of payments,” he emphasized.
He believes that slowing down the growth of debts could create favorable conditions for negotiations with European partners regarding grant and loan support. These funds, as he explained, could be allocated to settle Ukrenergo’s debts to balancing market participants, ensuring that producers receive payments for electricity already supplied and can use these funds for operations and recovery.
